*This article may be a trigger to those suffering*

Imagine waking up in the same emotional state everyday, with no signs of imminent change approaching. Imagine being declined life’s gifts or momentous occasions, because your psyche does not allow you to. That’s not even a fraction of what people with mental illness experience hourly, daily, weekly. It is hard to detect and even harder to understand. However, the suicide of Kate Spade, age 55, and Anthony Bourdain, age 61, has made it, once again, a topic of national discussion.

It’s easy to let the facts breeze by. They killed themself, so what? It is easy to ignore reality, but mental illness is real. Many or under the impression that it is just depression, but it’s not, crippling anxiety, addiction, schizophrenia, OCD, numerous personality disorders and more can be so intense it makes living seem harder than dying. While not everyone with a mental health problem turn to death there are other forms of escapism and the signs are hard to catch.

Hiding the burden of a mental illness can be the perfect storm for someone to do something unfathomable to those not suffering. Everyone’s different, someone else’s issues may not be as troubling to another person but it is sometimes the small problems that hit people with a mental illness like a brick. It is hard to understand a mental illness, they are not different but they are sick. The sickness can be fatal and it can be hard to watch. It is time people stop waiting until it is too late and start catching the signs early.